A.I. M.E.?

Thurs, MAY 15, 2025 - 9:57

On the 1st of October 1950, Alan Turing published an article in the philosophical journal Mind , in which he proposed a test designed to answer the question, ‘Can Machines Think’.

The question was clearly a response to the rapid development of computing and Turing’s involvement in the British code-cracking efforts of World War II. Yet, the ‘Turing Test’ or ‘Imitation Game’ as it came to be known, would become one of the most pertinent questions of computing for the next 70 years. Could a machine actually pass itself off as a human when interacting with an actual human?

Many efforts to create a machine that could do just that were attempted over the next half-century, and some even claimed success, though these programs were often heavily flawed and required excuses to be made for them, for example that they were a human ESL speaker, or a human with psychological issues.

It wasn’t until March of this year however, that a study evaluating the newest kid on the block, LLMs (or Large Language Models) provided ‘the first empirical evidence that any artificial system [had passed] a standard three-party Turing Test.’

Big news to some, perhaps. But to anyone who has been paying attention, no surprise, really. As with most of the tech-generation, I’ve been using ChatGPT for over two years now and long ago recognised its potential for human-like discourse.

The problem, of course, is that once something becomes human-like, it can be abused, and ChatGPT has turned into the perfect cheating device.

I’m an avid reader and in the last year alone, I’ve encountered almost a dozen books written (I’m relatively sure) entirely by ChatGPT or a similar technology. How do I know? There are a number of signs, from incoherence and contradiction, to that ‘GPT’-like lack of personality and formulaic structure. In short, I’ve had that many conversations with the machine that, ironically, I’ve become rather good at picking it out.

The situation isn’t good. Navigating online bookstores has become a minefield, with material devoid of intent, passion, or responsibility deluging the literary world. It’s become the latest trend to become an ‘author’ by using these technologies. In fact, some services even encourage it.

Sudowrite , a platform which touts itself as ’The AI tool with unparallelled story smarts’ will generate a full, multi-chapter book for you with just a few prompts. In their words, you can ’Write a novel from start to finish. In a week.’

When confronted with all this, I sometimes feel dejected. After all, it’s taken a lifetime to learn and hone my skills as an author. My latest book alone has taken 4 years to write, and this industry, which was already difficult to crack into and survive in, is now steadily filling up with noise and trash.

A faint hope remains that this is just a trend and that, like image generation, people will soon see that all these creations, while superficially flashy, lack soul and provide no basis for contemplation. Services may lure many in with promises of becoming ‘an artist’ or ‘an author’ or ‘a songwriter’, but their creations will impart no learnings, nor skills, nor true agency, nor real reward. The reader gains no true insight nor inspiration, while the user remains just that, wholly relient on another to produce anything. The hard truth is that to call yourself an author or songwriter or artist, you have to learn . To develop a craft using the blob in your own noggin and the limbs you posess.

Some years ago when this new technology was emerging, I stated that I would never use it to generate ideas nor content for any of my stories. And I stick to that. So if you read my books, rest assured you will get a 100% human-brain generated story, written by me.

Perhaps they’ll be imperfect, but I believe that’s part of the value of human-made works, whether art or music or prose. Humanness is inherently imperfect. And though we may eventually read books written by AI authors and watch AI standup-comics on stage, true stories come from human experiences, from flaws and failures and learnings, rather than perfection and dazzle. In short, real story is the product of a particular author, uniquely told.

- Jim

A New Chapter in Aliru: This Emerald Crucible Update

Tues, APR 15, 2025 - 16:22

It's hard to believe, but I've been working on my latest book 'This Emerald Crucible' for close to four years now. And I do feel a touch of guilt that it's taken so long to bring to life — but stories often grow at their own pace.

In fact, This Emerald Crucible has undergone significant changes since the first draft — one of which was a full re-write, another of which was splitting the book into two parts. It's taken a while to sharpen focus on the right parts of the world, reshape the characters, and refine the tone to match the story I wanted to tell. But I think it's been worth it.

This Emerald Crucible centres around Reiuk, a hard-edged gardener from the parched, desert city of Tenolar, who gets tasked with saving a rare and vital plant from extinction. This sends him across the seas to a little known island where lush jungles and ancient ruins whisper of forgotten knowledge & splendour. Crossing paths with Teth, a brilliant but testy young archaeologist, and Kindri, a charismatic journalist who holds cards close to her chest, the trio are soon swept into an intrigue that will force them to learn about the island’s true nature — or be consumed by it.

In this story, we're back in the world of Aliru (where 'The Torril City Mysterion' was set) but this is not a sequel, nor a prequel. Rather, it’s what I like to think of as a skewquel — a standalone tale which explores a different time, different people, and a new corner of the world. It’s designed to be accessible even if you haven't read Torril, but for those who have, you'll find familiar threads, gain a deeper understanding of how magick in this world works, learn more about its history — and perhaps even discover a dark threat, moving behind the scenes…

The current manuscript is sitting at around 670 pages which, frankly, is pushing the limits of what my publisher’s printing press can comfortably handle. For comparison, Torril City came in at about 410 pages. Editing will see this number change but I hope that whatever the final count, each and every one of those pages will be worth it. I promise they'll be packed with adventure, discovery, and more than a few surprises.

The incredibly warm and enthusiastic reception to Torril City has been humbling, and I'm so excited to share this new chapter of Aliru with you all soon. This Emerald Crucible is still on track for release this year (2025).

Again, thanks to you all for the patience and support. Get ready to step through the jungle mists of the Emerald Crucible with Reiuk, Teth, and Kindri, and see where the paths of Aliru might lead to next!

- Jim

THANK YOU, AWESOME NERDS!

Mon, FEB 10, 2025 - 09:39

A big shout out to everyone who came out to yesterday's Midsumma Street Festival . In true Melbourne fashion, the weather was unpredictable but perfect and it made for such a good mood in the street.

In particular, I'd like to say a big thanks to everyone who picked up a copy of Torril City, including (sorry if I misspelled your name or didn't catch it!):

Jeffrey, Justin, Dandelion, Kat, Steven, Rufus, Will, Owen, Zach, Ali, Carlos, the lady who bought a copy for her teenage grandkid, Baja, Nick, Cameron, Andrew (& Andrew's Friend), Shay, Raphael, Paul, Tina & Zel, Lia, and last but not least, Aud (check out her Instagram here!)

All of you (plus those who stopped by for a chat or to say hi) really made the day a bunch fun, and it was great to meet you all. I really appreciate your support ♥.

For those that picked up a book, enjoy your read and stay tuned here to jimzip.com for news about my next release, coming in this fine year of 2025! And for those who didn't…there's always next time (or Amazon, or your local bookshop)!

Cheers, awesome nerds!

MEET & GREET

Sat, JAN 25, 2025 - 16:55

It’s that time of year, again! The Melbourne Midsumma Street Festival will be taking place on Sunday, Feb 9th in Smith St., Fitzroy/Collingwoord. It’s a wonderful day filled with energy, activity, and colour, with live music, food, and activities galore, so come along and enjoy the scene!

Once again, I’ll be parked at the Boardies Booth (near Charles. St., opposite Coles), so come by and say hello! There will be plenty of board-games and cool drinks at the bar, and who knows, perhaps you’ll pick up a signed copy of The Torril City Mysterion?

I was really thrilled to meet some of you last year, and I look forward to seeing faces new and old again on Sunday!

See you on February 9th!

THE R.C. PRINCIPLE

Thurs, SEP 12, 2024 - 11:25

One of the most challenging aspects of writing fantasy is finding ways to navigate similes, metaphors and sayings.

It sounds silly, but to create the most immersive experience for the reader it’s necessary to relegate the vast treasure trove of real-world examples to the proverbial dustbin, because they are of no use to us.

Think about it. Perhaps you have a character in your story who leaps into the fray whenever danger is near, and they’re renowned for their pluck and courage. Another character tries to describe them in a dialogue by saying, ‘Bruk? Yes, he’s as brave as a…’?

Brave as a what ?

In a world (or universe) without lions, we need an alternative or we break immersion and diminish the credibility of the whole telling. Doing this requires some mental gymnastics, for the substitute needs to feel natural and authentic and, of course, it needs to be understood by the reader without effort.

The only valid option is to use terminology and concepts which belong in your world. I call this concept the, ‘Robinson Crusoe Principle’ , because you’re basically stuck on an island (ie. your world), limited to a certain ‘geography’ of ideas and expressions. Anything I pick has to come from this island, or the story is cheapened.

Make sense? Great! Well then, instead of just inserting new analogues into well-known sayings, why don't we go one step further and make our phrases do double-duty?

For example, instead of a ‘lion’, you might say, ‘brave as a newborn greyhorn’ . I don’t know about you, but for me this immediately calls to mind a beast which has pluck. A creature that is probably dangerous and formidable right from the get-go.

We’ve therefore deepened our character by defining an easily graspable characteristic, while also slipping a little worldbuilding to the reader unconsciously. Not too shabby, eh?

I will admit that when I first started writing fantasy, I was a serial over-user of real-world references. It was lazy and made my writing amateurish, and I was really glad when my editor pointed it out. After all, ‘his mind ping-ponged about,’ isn’t exactly fitting for a character living in a muddy, medieval dystopia. I doubt that world will ever experience the unbridled joy that is ping-pong.

That was a long time ago, and I’ve since learned to enjoy the process of inventing new ways to play with common expressions and imagery. Sure it's a challenge, but it also makes one conscious of how often the real world tries to intrude on your fantastical creations.